Classes will be held one evening a week for approximately 2.5 hours. Classes begin September 20th. Applications may be obtained and submitted to your local participating police department of follow this link:CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD APPLICATION

Applications can be sent by FAX to 859-441-3230 or Emailed to rwhitford@ftthomas.org

The Citizens Police Academy will be a twelve-week course that citizens can attend for learning about their local police departments and the criminal justice system. The meetings will be held at various participating police departments and will cover topics in areas of patrol functions, S.W.A.T., firearms, crime scene investigations, K-9 patrol, accident reconstruction, criminal investigations, the court system, communications and detention.

There will also be guest speakers from the Campbell County Attorney’s Office, Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, Campbell County Coroner’s Office, Campbell County Detention Center, and the Campbell County Consolidated Dispatch Center. Campbell County residents are invited to submit an application to be considered for the Citizens Academy.

Beware of Scammers!

Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim

Theft and fraud are two criminal activities that transcend all cultures and eras. Most recently, innovations in technology have created new and unique opportunities for criminals to search for and exploit victims. These technological advances (such as telephones, computers, Internet, electronic mail, and online banking) create novel and ample opportunities for criminals to seek out targets while maintaining anonymity. Therefore, it is important for users and consumers to familiarize themselves with and be on their guard against some of the more common scams.

For instance, below are some of the more common scams that have been brought to the attention of Fort Thomas Police Department:

The “Taxi Cab” scam

The suspect will send a taxi cab to pick up an elderly target. The suspect will also instruct the taxi cab company to have the target call him when they make contact with the target. Once the suspect has the elderly target on the phone, they are informed that a family member is in trouble and needs financial assistance. The taxi cab is provided in order to transport the elderly target to the location to wire money.

The “Grandparent” scam

The suspect will contact elderly targets posing as their grandchild and state that they are having some sort of financial emergency and require assistance. They request that the target wire money immediately. Using social networking and other sources, they are often able to provide information to convince their targets that they actually are their grandchild.

The “Warrant” scam

The suspect will contact targets claiming to be an officer of the court or a sheriff’s deputy. The target will be told that they have an outstanding warrant for their arrest for a variety of reasons (missing jury duty, traffic offense, etc.) and that they need to pay a fine immediately or they will be arrested. Targets are instructed to pay their fine by wiring money or via Green Dot Money Card or other similar options.

The “IRS” scam

This scam can take various different forms. One is that a suspect may simply steal a target’s identity and file an income tax return on their behalf, having the refund deposited into an account that the suspect has access to. Another is that a suspect will call a target posing as an IRS agent and claim that the target owes back taxes. The IRS agent will threaten a warrant of arrest if the fine is not paid immediately, just as in the case of the above “warrant” scam.

The “Lottery” scam

The suspect will contact a target stating that the target has won/inherited a large sum of money. However, the suspect will claim that in order to receive the money, the target must pay the associated taxes first. Or the suspect may simply ask for the targets banking information so that the funds can be direct deposited into the targets account, and use that information to steal their identity and/or wipe out their accounts.

The “Utility” scam

The suspect will pose as an employee of a utility service and claim that an unpaid balance is due or service will be terminated. The suspect will again inform the target to pay via wiring money or some other form of untraceable payment.

Computer Spyware/Virus scam

Targets will receive an error message or pop up on their computer stating that the computer has been infected and to call a certain phone number for assistance. Often the spyware or virus will prevent the target from being able to use their computer. Once the target makes contact with the suspect, often posing as an employee of a legitimate company (i.e. – Microsoft), he attempts to sell the target a means of repairing their computer. These repairs are generally overpriced and do not resolve the problem. Sometimes the suspect will also ask to be given access to the targets computer to resolve the issues. When given access, they then steal other information.

Craiglist Scams

The suspect will set up an interaction with the target via Craigslist for either the buying or selling of an item. The suspect will then not hold up their part of the agreement. This could take the form of not sending money, not sending the purchased item, or providing stolen or damaged items. Even worse, the suspect may lure a target into meeting them for an exchange and then rob them or potentially worse.

As you can see, while some of the details of these scams may vary, the over-arching ideas tend to be similar. The suspect’s goal is to make you feel as if you or someone you love is in a difficult situation but that they can help you if you’re willing to send them money. And as you can see, the suspects will often provide very specific directions and methods as to how the money must be sent. This is to reduce the possibility that the money can be traced and linked to them. Below are several tips to help you avoid many of the pitfalls that victims find themselves in when confronted with these situations:

The IRS, FBI, DEA, sheriff’s office, or local police department will NEVER call you threatening to issue or execute a warrant of arrest on you or your family member, unless you agree to pay some arbitrary fine.

Financial institutions will not call you and ask for your personal information or account information.

Slow down and consider what the person is actually asking you to do. Time limits are often placed on targets to increase their sense of urgency and panic, which may cause them to make decisions they normally wouldn’t. Don’t rush into any decisions.

Ask for a number where you can call the subject back or a customer service number where you can contact the corporation or agency. Then do your own research prior to sending money to them

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If buying or selling on an online marketplace (such as Craigslist), and there is a need to meet face to face, schedule the meeting at a designated “safe zone.” A “safe zone” should be a public, well-lit, preferably video-recorded area. (Fort Thomas Police Department is in the process of creating a “safe-zone” for exchanges, most likely to be located in the parking lot and/or lobby of the city building.)

Unfortunately, we live in a world full of people who are trying to take advantage of others. Many times they prey on the ignorance and/or kindness of their victims. While it may be nearly impossible to completely insulate yourself from these scams, you can certainly take steps to protect yourself and your family. If you stay informed, pay attention to what is going on around you, and look for the warning signs you can significantly reduce your chances of falling victim to a scam artist. As always, residents can feel free to contact the Fort Thomas Police Department with any questions or concerns. Also, be sure to check out the useful resources listed below for more information:

Bicycle Laws and Ordinances

Every person riding a bicycle on a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by the laws of this state declaring rules of the road applicable to vehicles or by the traffic code of this city applicable to the driver of a vehicle, except as to special regulations in this chapter and except as to those provisions of laws and ordinances which by their nature can have no application.

(A) No person shall ride a bicycle on a sidewalk within a business district.
(B) No person 12 or more years of age shall ride a bicycle on any sidewalk in any district.
(C) Whenever any person is riding a bicycle on a sidewalk, the person shall yield the right-of- way to any pedestrian and shall give audible signal before overtaking and passing the pedestrian.

(A) Every bicycle when in use at night time shall be equipped with a lamp on the front which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front and with a red reflector on the rear of a type which shall be visible from all distances from 50 feet to 300 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful upper beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle. A lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear may be used in addition to the red reflector.
(B) No person shall operate a bicycle unless it is equipped with a bell or other device capable of giving a signal audible for a distance of at least 100 feet, except that a bicycle shall not be equipped with nor shall any persons use on a bicycle any siren or whistle.
(C) Every bicycle shall be equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make the braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement.

Changes to Kentucky’s Seat Belt Law

On April 24, 2006 Governor Ernie Fletcher signed into law a bill that amends Kentucky Revised Statutes section 189.125. This law will go into effect on or about July 12, 2006. The significant changes to the law are summarized below:

All occupants of motor vehicles manufactured after 1981 must wear a seat belt.

Police officers will no longer be required to have other cause to stop a person for not wearing a seat belt.

Seat belt violations shall not be transmitted to the Transportation Cabinet, and a conviction of this violation shall not be included on a person’s driving history record.

The $25 fine for violation shall be subject to prepayment and shall not be subject to court costs.

Note: The section about the $25 fine, prepayment and no court costs for violations is published separately in KY Acts, chapter 180, section 9, which can be accessed by the following link: http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Statrev/ACTS2006/0180.pdf

The driver of the vehicle is responsible for all occupants of their vehicle. If four of the driver’s passengers are not wearing their seatbelts, the driver can receive a citation for $100.00.

Law enforcement agencies shall be prohibited from erecting roadblocks for the sole purpose of checking for seat belt use violations.

Until January 1, 2007all law enforcement agencies in this state shall be required to issue a courtesy warning rather than a citation to persons who violate the seat belt law. The courtesy warning shall not include a fine or any other penalty but shall inform the violator of the amount of the fine that well be assessed for a violation and the date the courtesy warnings will end. The courtesy warning shall also include educational material on the benefits of complying with Kentucky’s seat belt law.

Kentucky Child Restraint Law

Any driver of a motor vehicle, when transporting a child of forty (40) inches in height or less in a motor vehicle operated on the roadways, streets, and highways of this state, shall have the child properly secured in a child restraint system of a type meeting federal motor vehicle safety standards.
Any person who violates the provisions of Kentucky’s Child Restraint Law shall be fined fifty dollars ($50) and shall pay an additional fee of ten dollars (10), which shall be deposited in the Traumatic Brain Injury Trust Fund.
(Governor’s Highway Safety Program: http://www.ghsp.ky.gov/seat_belt_ky_law.htm)

Fort Thomas Police are members of A Child Is Missing (ACIM)

Fort Thomas Police are members of A Child Is Missing (ACIM), a Fort Lauderdale-based non-profit organization founded in 1996, was created because no community-based program existed for locating missing children, the disabled and elderly during the crucial first hours of disappearance. Activated only by law enforcement, the ACIM program is available nationwide.

THE ACIM PROGRAM WORKS LIKE THIS:

An officer has verified that an individual is missing and an ACIM technician is called. The officer gives the technician the pertinent information about the missing person, including description, clothes worn and time/location last seen. The technician records a personalized message with case details asking residents for information and to check their premises. Answering machines can pick up ACIM calls so that residents can hear the alert when returning home. ACIM can place 1,000 calls in sixty seconds, can process multiple cases simultaneously, and can work without jurisdictional boundaries. ACIM also has a sexual predator / offender program, offered in states that allow law enforcement to notify residents that a predator has moved into their neighborhood.

THE PROGRAM OFFERS:

1. Educational programs on child safety and parental awareness.
2. Law enforcement training and refreshers; training videos and brochures.
3. A Child Is Missing media kits including video footage for TV spots upon request.
4. An ACIM Speakers Bureau to enhance community involvement.